Limbo
by clow-san
Summary: In a desperate attempt to revive Orihime, Ichigo unconsciously puts his own life in danger. But his soul is not one to give up easily and Ichigo finds himself in a reality he could have if he lives. Ichihime.
1. Fall Down the Rabbit Hole

A/N: Yes. At last, I have dragged my lazy bottom and wrote this story. Hahaha. It has been a long time since I last wrote something that reached 1000 words. Well anyway, please do enjoy this. I recommend that you read this in the 3/4 or 1/2 setting. And remember reviews make me a very productive writer. *wink*

Chapter One: Fall down the Rabbit Hole

Kurosaki Ichigo was not doing well. His heart was throbbing so painfully against his ribcage. Each thump was so loud he could almost hear it echoing to his ears. He was tired, so very tired. He never thought that this would happen. He got over the storm, he had beaten Aizen. He thought it was over. High-level Arrancars appearing endlessly, not ten minutes after his battle with the rogue captain, was not part of the plan. With most of the captains, vaizards and vice captains injured, there was no other choice but to fight. Those who were well enough were fighting along side him. At the ground Unohana was doing her best to heal everybody as fast as she could. But with the extent of the injuries, even somebody as skillful as her needed more time.

Ichigo struck down one more Arrancar. He had long lost count of how many he had killed. Zangetsu was heavy in his grip. The reiatsu that he was so famous for seemed to have abandoned him in the most crucial moment. His vision was blurring, a low pant was issuing from his mouth. He blocked an attack from another one and sliced it with little difficulty.

Then without warning, something drove through his right shoulder from behind. White, hot pain spread throughout his body, mixing with the sharp ache that was already there in the first place. Ichigo stumbled. A curse escaped his lips. His strength had left him completely.

After that, Ichigo was vaguely aware of the opening of the Garganta. Of the arrival of reinforcement. A flash of auburn was running towards him, followed by an orange light surrounding him. The reiatsu was familiar, comforting. Inoue. Slowly his body began pulling itself together; his sight was beginning to focus. Inoue's face was that of complete concentration. Were his wounds that severe? Then he saw an Arrancar from above, he tried to warn her but his words did not come out. The shield faltered, as the sword pierce through her.

Reflexively, he caught her. He heard her whisper his name before she closed her eyes. A kido spell from out of nowhere blasted the Arrancar to nothing. His knees gave out. His hand came atop her chest, just where her heart was supposed to be beating. There was nothing. Her blood seeped out of her wound. It stained her dress. It was sickening and wrong and Ichigo could feel the bile rising up to his throat. Because Inoue was not supposed to die like this, she was supposed to be smiling, and talking and eating those weird foods she liked.

"No…" He desperately tried to shake her awake.

He screamed her name and his skull seemed to split open with pain. In an instant he could not see, he could feel his hollow going berserk inside of him. His eyes flickered and Ichigo fell.

He fell, head first. He was in deep waters but somehow he was not wet. He could feel bubbles of air on his arms, as he continued to tore past down. He felt light and was content to keep on falling. Colors danced behind his eyes. Red, purple, blue, brown orange, ginger twirled together in a big unidentifiable blur. He was nothing.

You cannot die. A voice said.

Suddenly, he could not breathe. Water filled his lungs and his body became desperate for air. He kicked and fought his way up. He could see it, almost there. He outstretched his hand and his head broke the surface.

"Wha!" Ichigo shot himself upwards and in the process threw himself off the bed to the floor, bringing down the sheets with him. Bed? When did he…? He rubbed his head and looked around the room he was in. Mocha walls with red accents. Two doors, one was closed at the far side of the room and another ajar to the left of the bed. It seemed to lead to a tiled bathroom. It was not his bedroom at all. It was bigger and brighter.

Confusion began to set in as he stood up and frantically tried to free himself from the tangled sheets. But his attempts only got him more entwined with it and suddenly he slipped, banging his head to what appeared like a bedside table. He hissed in pain as he rubbed the tender spot, gingerly. Where was everybody? He thought. What happened to the fight? Where is this place? Was Inoue… was she… was she alive? He clenched his fist, of course not, Inoue could not be alive. He saw it, felt her heart. She was dead because of him. He failed to protect her.

Ichigo was so consumed with his thoughts that he did not hear the door opening and a person entering the room. The figure frowned slightly as she saw him on the floor. She placed a hand on top of her slightly rounded tummy and tilted her head in confusion. "Ichigo?"

His eyes widened as he heard his name. He knew that voice. He snapped his head upwards and stared at the worried face of Inoue Orihime.

"I-Inoue…" he said, quite dumbly. His heart seemed to stop for a moment. How… how could she be? He stared at her in shock. An overwhelming mixture of relief, surprise and confusion swirled in his brain, making him feel light-headed. Not only was Inoue alive she looked different. She was Inoue no doubt with her ginger hair in a low ponytail. Her hairpins glinted as the sunlight hit them. But her face appeared older, not so much older but older than the last time he saw her.

She smiled, unsure. "Inoue? You haven't called me that ever since high school. Are you alright? Why are you on the floor?"

Ichigo did not get the last part of what she was saying. He was preoccupied with the second statement. Ever since high school? "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Hmm?" She mused.

"I am still in high school."

She carefully kneeled beside him. "Oh my, did you hit your head? Did the floor pixies take your memories away?"

"Floor pixies?" He repeated, dazed.

"You know fairies on the floor that take away your memories when you fall onto them. Maybe that's why you don't remember we graduated high school six years ago."

Six years ago? No, it could not be. Inoue, who he thought was dead, was here telling him that he graduated high school six years ago. This was crazy. He was supposed to rub his forehead when he caught sight of something on his finger. A platinum ring on his ring finger. "W-what…"

He turned to look at Inoue and saw an identical ring on her finger, under that was a familiar band. He knew it, from childhood. Because his mother always, always holds his hands when they walk. It was his mother's engagement ring. He glanced at Inoue. She was looking at him, anxiously.

"Are you okay?"

Everything began to pile up on his head, Inoue alive and older, him graduating high school, the identical platinum rings, and his mother's engagement ring. Then something in his brain exploded as too much information and a single realization hit him. And Ichigo did the most logical thing he could think of.

He fainted.

To be continued


	2. You are Dying, so Live

A/N: Yes. I am glad for all the reviews last chapter. Thank you very much. Please don't get tired of giving me reviews. Hahaha. So anyway, I have realized that the 1/2 setting is better. So for maximum enjoyment please use that. So without much farther ado here's the second chapter of Limbo.

Disclaimer: I forgot to include this on the first chap, hehe. I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Two: You are dying, so live

Ichigo shifted in his sleep. He felt something cold on his forehead.

"Don't move too suddenly, Onii-chan. You have a big bruise on your head."

He relaxed as he heard the voice of his younger sister. "I had a crazy dream, Yuzu… I was sent to the future…"

"Really?"

"Yeah." He answered.

She giggled. "Well you don't have to worry now Onii-chan… You're back to being twenty-four."

He nodded absent-mindedly. Then it clicked into place. "TWENTY-FOUR!"

He bolted upright, startling the young woman. "Onii-chan!"

Ichigo's jaw dropped as he stared at his 'sister'. Her brown hair was longer. She wore the Karakura high school uniform and if he did not know any better he would have thought his mother came back to life.

"Yu-yuzu?"

She did not have the chance to answer as the room's door opened. Another young woman entered, also in Karakura uniform. She reminded him of Tatsuki, with her short, dark hair. It took Ichigo a moment to recognize her. The red baseball cap and the bored expression, there was no mistaking it.

"Karin!"

She looked at him annoyed. "What's up with you? Did dad's craziness finally caught up?"

"Karin-chan," Yuzu pouted. "Onii-chan's a bit dazed, he knocked himself pretty hard."

This… this can't be. He said to himself. Just went he thought he would wake up where he was supposed to be. Nothing made sense in this place and the urge to flee was becoming stronger. He watched as his 'sisters' started to bicker. Taking his chance, he quickly ran towards the adjacent bathroom and locked the door. He needed to clear his head. He staggered towards the sink. He opened the faucet and splashed some water on his face. His sisters were knocking on the door. But the sound dulled as he caught his reflection in the mirror. He was taller, and somewhat bigger, heavier. His shoulders were broader. He looked more mature. But his hair was still as vivid as ever. He absentmindedly touched his face. It was real. He was older.

"Like what you're seeing, your highness?" Somebody drawled from behind him.

He turned around, suddenly alert. And just as he expected, his hollow was leaning on the tiled wall.

"What the hell are you doing to me?"

The hollow laughed. "What am I doing to you? Nothing. You're doing this to yourself."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, angrily. "What are you talking about?"

The hollow's eyes glinted. "You're dying, King."

Ichigo's frown deepened. "D-dying?"

"Exciting, isn't it? Your soul's draining reiatsu faster than it could generate. So you're dying, in the real world."

"Real world? I don't understand a thing you're saying."

But before the hollow could reply it began to dissipate and the form of Zangetsu started to appear.

"Old Man…" Ichigo said when the zanpaktou spirit was solid enough.

"Perhaps, it would be better if I will be the one to explain."

"Explain what? What did the hollow mean by I'm dying in the real world? What's this place? Is this—?"

Zangetsu held up a hand. Ichigo stopped talking almost immediately. "I am afraid what the hollow said is true. You are dying in the real world."

"How, no wait…" He tensed as something dawned to him. If the place he was in was not real. Then the Inoue he saw was not real as well. "Inoue. How is she?"

"Inoue Orihime will be fine, if you will be fine. But as of the moment you are not doing well Ichigo, and because of that you are experiencing this."

"This?"

Zangetsu nodded. "As the hollow said, you are draining your reiatsu too quickly, if you were anybody else that would break up your soul into nothing. But your soul does not want to vanish and is fighting to survive. Everything you are seeing now is how your soul is handling the strain. This place is a way to motivate you to produce reiatsu faster and to keep you alive."

"So this place isn't real?"

"It is real in a sense. Think of it as a future reality."

"And Inoue? How can this help her?"

"You are reviving her in the most unusual way possible, Ichigo. You are transferring the last of your reiatsu to her."

"That could help?"

"Of course. A soul's reiatsu is its life force. In essence you are giving your life to her."

Ichigo was silent as the information began to sink in.

Zangetsu adjusted his sunglasses. "Can you understand now? Both of your lives depend on the sufficient amount of reiatsu that you will create."

Ichigo nodded. "So I'm supposed to stay here."

"Yes, until your soul is stable enough."

"How long would that take?"

"That is unpredictable. It can be as short as weeks or as long as years in this reality."

"Years?" Ichigo did not think he would even last a day. "I don't know a damn thing about this place."

"Some things do not change. You are Ichigo, no matter the age. And so as the people around you, they may seem different at the surface but deep down they are still them. As time pass here, things will be easier."

But Ichigo doubted that it would be easier. The thing was he was married to Inoue with no memory of how it happened. And there was almost a decade worth of his family and his friends that he did not know.

"I am afraid you just have to live it out, you want to save the girl, do you not?"

Ichigo's eyes hardened with that statement. "I won't let her die."

"Then you can start by opening that door."

A loud rapping sound suddenly filled the bathroom. Ichigo glanced at the door momentarily and turned to look at Zangetsu again. But he was not there anymore. There was no other choice, he guessed. He would just have to take things as they came. Panicking would not help and so did hiding in the bathroom. If this was the only way to keep Inoue and himself alive, then so be it. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob.

"—scared Orihime-nee half to death."

"But you shouldn't have teas…" Yuzu trailed as he came out. "Oh, Onii-chan, are you okay?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Must have hit my head harder than I thought. But I'm good now."

Yuzu smiled, evidently satisfied with his answer. Karin, on the other hand, eyed him suspiciously. His lips twitched upwards. They might be older but they were his sisters alright.

"If you're feeling better now Onii-chan, can we go downstairs? Orihime-nee's really worried about you."

"O-Orihime?"

"Your wife." Karin said, pointedly.

"I know." He replied, sounding tenser than he would have liked. "Yeah we sh-should go downstairs. Tell her I'm fine. Go on."

Karin was the first to exit, then Yuzu. With no other choice, Ichigo momentarily steeled himself and followed his sisters outside the room.

To be continued


	3. Breakfast by Kurosaki Orihime

A/N: No you're not dreaming. This is an update. I am very sorry it is late. I have been extremely busy. And I am also rewriting another of my stories so I am swamped. But I hope you, readers, will enjoy. I may update again next week. Thank you. This story is best viewed at the ½ setting.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Three: Breakfast by Kurosaki Orihime

After Ichigo went out of what appeared as the master bedroom, there were four other closed doors in the hallway. He presumed that they were bedrooms too. Or maybe one was a bathroom.

Walking straight ahead, they reached the top of a stairs. At the middle of it however, Yuzu suddenly stopped and regarded him.

"Onii-chan…"

She was looking at him so intently that Ichigo almost took a step back. "Yeah?"

"Did you consider Sakura?"

"Huh?" Ichigo was dumbfounded at the statement. He did not know anybody named Sakura. Maybe she was a new acquaintance. The gears of in his head began turning for a decent answer but he was saved by Karin.

"Oh quit that Yuzu." She reprimanded "Orihime-nee's only three months pregnant. I'm sure they have enough time to think about that."

"What?" Ichigo blurted out, before he could stopped himself.

His sisters looked at him. He swallowed a mouthful of air.

"What's the matter?" Karin asked.

"Well… nothing…"

Perfect. Inoue was pregnant. The situation just kept on escalating. Ichigo just hoped there would not be any more surprises. He did not think he could take it. After a moment his sisters resumed their discussion.

"But Karin-chan it's better to be prepared about these things. The baby's name is important, you know."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"So do you have names yet Onii-chan?"

He looked at his sister and decided to go with the other. "Karin's right, Yuzu. It's early for those things."

Yuzu pouted, slightly. "Okay. But remember to tell me, because I'll knit his or her name on the jumpers I'll be making."

He nodded. He would tell her, if he was still here, which hopefully he was not. They continued their way down. Directly at the bottom of the stairs were the entrance area and the front door. He saw a row of neatly arranged shoes and house slippers at the side. From there they took a turn right to a cozy living area. An overstuffed couch and two matching armchairs were surrounding a large flat screen television. There were shelves at either side of it, full of DVDs and books. Karin casually pulled back the partitioning door. It led to the dining table and kitchen.

"Orihime-nee!" Karin called. "That's weird, where's she?"

"She may be at the back." Yuzu said. "I'll call her."

"No need."

And true enough, Inoue appeared with freshly picked ginger in her hands. She smiled widely when she saw him.

"You're up." She said, quickly walking towards him. "How's your head?"

"It's fine." Ichigo answered.

"Good." She turned to look at his sisters. "Thank you for coming Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan."

"It's nothing." Karin said. She glanced at her wristwatch. "But we must be going, or else we'll be late."

"That's right!" Yuzu exclaimed. "I'm in charge of homeroom today."

"Wait before you go." Inoue said. She placed the ginger on the counter and picked up two brown paper bags. "I made you sandwiches. I know you immediately ran here when I called, so you didn't have time to make lunch."

"Aw… you didn't have to, Nee-chan." Yuzu cooed, looking pleased.

Ichigo was stunned at the interactions between the women in front of him. They gave the impression that they knew each other for a long time. He guessed eight years was long enough. Eight years he had no memory of. He watched as Yuzu accepted the food. And for a moment he wanted to warn them that Inoue's food was not always fit for human consumption. But both of his sisters seemed to be genuinely excited.

"Is it your egg sandwich recipe?" Karin asked.

Inoue nodded.

"Great. See ya later then."

"Good day Onii-chan, Nee-chan."

And there were left alone. For the first time, Ichigo felt anxious. His sisters he could handle but Inoue. Well he could handle Inoue but an Inoue, who was married to him and pregnant with his child, was something he could not. He could not even grasp that fact that they were married. It was just impossible. Because why would Inoue tie herself to him? There was just no basis.

"Are you really okay?" Inoue's worried voice snapped him back to reality.

"Yeah." He replied as composed as he could.

"Would you like some breakfast? I still have time before the store opens."

Store? He would have declined but his stomach rumbled loudly.

She smiled, kindly. "Go on sit down, I'll fix you a quick one."

He observed, amazed as Inoue efficiently moved around the kitchen. When she put on the apron, he noticed a slight bump around her abdomen. Something inside him was scolding him for letting a pregnant woman cook for him.

After a few moments there was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him. Inoue sat beside him and started digging in her breakfast, spreading red bean paste over the scrambled eggs. He looked at his food. It seemed normal. Picking up his fork, he tasted it and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Soon enough he was gobbling the whole thing down. He did not even notice that Inoue was watching him with a smile. Or that she stood up and poured something on his cup.

Ichigo finished his breakfast in no time and instinctively reached for the cup beside him. The tea was already halfway finished when he realized it was spiced tea, a favorite that only his family knew about. He looked at Inoue.

"Is it good?"

He could not help but smile. "Yeah. Thank you."

She glanced at her wristwatch. "Oh dear, I need to be going. You'll be staying in right?"

Ichigo nodded, unsure. It was better to agree than to incite questions.

"I'll bring back dinner so don't cook anymore." She began clearing up the table.

"I'll clean up. Just leave the plates on the table." He said.

"Okay."

He followed her to the front door. After she put on her shoes, she looked at him intently. Ichigo felt like he was being interrogated. "Are you certain, you're okay?"

"Don't worry about me." He said, more confident that he felt. "Um… don't you want me to go with you?

She chuckled, liquid-honey. "The bakery is a block away. I'm pregnant not disabled. You stay here and rest. It's your day-off after all."

And before Ichigo could answer, she was on to him. Her face so close that he could smell her. Vanilla. He felt his face burn with embarrassment. At first he thought she would kiss him but she completely missed his face and whispered something to his ear.

"Have a nice day."

"Ah… you too."

And she was gone, the same time the strength from Ichigo's legs were. He knew then that this would be more difficult than anything he had ever endured.

To be continued

A/n: Yes spiced tea. Morita Masakazu, Ichigo's VA, loves that. I just have to put it in. Reviewers will be given Orihime-san's egg sandwich.


	4. The Truth Shall Set You Free

A/N: Thank you for all that reviewed last chapter. Orihime-san would gladly deliver her egg sandwich to your doors. Hahaha. Here's an update. As always this story is best viewed in the 1/2 setting. Enjoy and do not forget to leave a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Four: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Kurosaki Orihime nee Inoue, contrary to popular beliefs, is a very perceptive woman. Well, maybe not perceptive in every case but when it came to people she loves she could be rather observant. So when her husband of two years told her that he was still in high school she was inclined to believe it. After all it was not everyday that she saw Ichigo so disoriented and afraid (?) then he fainted and it did not take a genius to conclude that something was off.

Quickly, she called the twins. For two main reasons, first, she required help in putting Ichigo back to bed and secondly, she thought that if he believed he was still sixteen he needed familiar faces. Karin and Yuzu immediately responded and were at their doorsteps ten minutes later.

She sighed, a lot worried. Ichigo had the tendency to keep problems to himself, even though it had lessened quite considerably in the recent years, it was still there. Especially now that she was pregnant, he was most adamant about not upsetting her. She sighed, again. She hoped he would tell her later when she comes home. Or better yet, he would be fine again.

"Orihime-san, are you okay?"

The voice of her younger assistant snapped Orihime back to reality. "Ah, yes Hana-chan."

"Um, well we're running out of oatmeal cookies."

"There's a fresh batch at the oven."

Hana nodded. Orihime watched as the teenager made a beeline to the oven. She looked at the wall clock. It was 8:45 in the morning. It was the middle of the store's morning rush. High schoolers, middle schoolers and elementary students were hurrying into the store, buying snacks, sandwiches and cookies. The sheer numbers of customers would be rather overwhelming to other people but not for Orihime. She was used to it. After all The Strawberry Bakeshop was quite famous among the student population. And so was its owner and patisserie no matter how much Orihime denied it.

"Orihime-nee!" Sara-chan, another one of the store attendant called. "We're out of clubhouse sandwiches."

"Yes, yes." Orihime took a deep breath. She forced herself to momentarily forget Ichigo's strange behavior. She needed to focus on her work now.

After cleaning up the dishes, Ichigo had wandered about. He decided that to survive in this place he must at least find something to clue him in the eight whole years he was missing and as he did so he had found pieces of himself and Orihime in the house. Little things that he would have easily ignored but they were there. Like those dog-eared copies of books by William Shakespeare on the bookshelves and the photograph of Inoue Sora in a frame at one corner.

He stumbled into a study at the second floor. At first glance he immediately knew that it was his. The way everything was placed and the warm colors of the room were clear indications. There was laptop at the desk and stacks of papers at the floor. The rows of bookshelves at one side were full and he began to wonder just what the hell he was doing. A large plaque on the wall answered his question. Bachelor of Science in Psychology. There was a huge cork board beside it. There were notes. _Nice lecture Kurosaki-sensei!_ _Where do you get these descriptions sir? Thanks for a wonderful semester, Sensei. So are shinigamis real? Paranormal Psychology rocks Kurosaki-sensei! _There were a lot more pinned but all of them reiterating the same thing. He was a teacher. A great teacher at that.

"I'm a teacher?" He muttered, unbelievably. But somewhere in the corner of his mind he thought it fitted somehow. Who else had more experience in the paranormal than him?

He was about to leave when a thick brown leather-bound book jutting out of one of the shelf caught his attention. He pulled it out for its spot._ Life_ it said at the cover. He went over the desk, removed the papers on the chair and sat down. His heart was pounding hard again his chest. After a moment he opened the book carefully.

It was a photo album.

His hands shook as his eyes roamed among the first four pictures. The first one was when they were still in high school. He was sitting down a hand on his chin, smirking. She was leaning behind him, hands on his shoulders with one of her bright smiles.

They appeared older in the next one both of them looking over their shoulders. She was in a kimono eating cotton candy. He had his arms crossed. There was a small caption underneath it in Inoue's handwriting. _Happy New Year!_

He was overcome with a horrible sense of déjàvu. He did not know how or when the pictures were taken but he remembered them. He shifted through the pages and other familiar faces are there. His father, sisters, Chad, Tatsuki, Ishida, Renji, Rukia, Toushiro, Rangiku-san and other shinigamis and vaizards in birthday parties, get-togethers, holidays. His wedding. They had a traditional Shinto wedding. He seemed horribly uncomfortable but extremely happy. And Inoue, she was radiant in her all white kimono.

He paused at the black and white sonogram. There was a caption in Inoue's handwriting again. _Baby Kurosaki, 1 month 2 weeks old_.

He felt the world around him move and in an instant he saw himself as a small child. But as he looked harder he realized that the child was not him. _Tou-san_! The child called his chubby arms pointing directly at Ichigo.

Ichigo suddenly felt sick. He dropped the photo album and ran to the nearest bathroom and puked his guts out into the toilet. _What the hell was that_? He thought as he rinsed his mouth of the bile and washed his face. It took him a moment to realize that it was already dark. He had lost the entire day.

But it was of small concern to him as the face of the child was burned into his mind. He glanced over the shower behind him. He wanted to clear his head.

He was just putting on a fresh shirt, when the voice of Inoue resonated inside the house.

"I'm home! Ichigo?"

"I- I'm upstairs!" He called back. His stomach suddenly was as heavy as lead. He still did not remember anything concrete. The photos just helped him realized that this life was… real.

"Ichigo?" Inoue said. He did not hear her come up.

"Ah…" he started. "Ho-how's your day?"

"Ichigo…" She said, quietly. "Can you tell me already?"

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"Can you tell me what has been bothering you?"

She knew. He thought, alarmed. "There's nothing."

Swiftly her hands were on his arms and she was giving her that look. The one Yuzu gave him sometimes and he knew he could not lie to her. Not even if his life depended on it. "Please. I know there's something wrong. Just tell me, I want to help you."

"I…" He took a deep breath. She would probably think he was crazy. "I don't remember this life."

To be continued


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